After The Stars Fell
by Meme-Ann
Summary: COMPLETE!!Dwayne's in love, Banks is trying to get over Star and life at Eden Hall is hectic as usaul. Set after All Wars Are Deadly.
1. Meeting Kayla

Kayla Bennett sighed as she knocked on the door to her new dorm room. When she had moved into the Eden Hall dorms at the beginning of the year there had been an error in the room assignments, and she had ended up sleeping on the floor of a two person dorm with two rather annoying room mates.  
  
"Come in!" A voice called from inside of the room.  
  
Kayla meekly pushed the door open. Inside she found five girls sitting around the room, with all of their eyes on her.  
  
"Hi, um, which one of you is Nicci?" Kayla asked.  
  
"That's me." A girl, with blond hair and glasses answered.  
  
"Oh, Hi, I'm your new room mate."   
  
"Oh. Hello." Nicci answered, uncomfortably. She still hadn't gotten used to the idea of someone new moving into her room, even though it had been almost a month since Star's death. "Um, yeah...I'm Nicci, and this is Kat, and Mari Anne, and Connie, and Julie." Nicci replied pointing everyone out.  
  
"Hi." Kayla replied. She had always been shy, especially in new situations. Right now she felt like sinking into the floor.  
  
"We can help you unpack if you want." Connie offered, politely.  
  
"No, it's okay. I can do it." Kayla replied lugging her suit cases through the door of her new dorm room.  
  
Nicci took a good look at her new room mate. She wasn't ugly, but then again, she wasn't anything special either. She stood a mere 5'2", and had auburn hair, bright green eyes, along with a few freckles splattered here and there.  
  
"I didn't catch your name." Nicci said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's Kayla, Kayla Bennett."  
  
Nicci nodded. "Nice to meet you."  
  
Towards the end of the day, Nicci was having troubles getting to know Kayla, she was painfully shy, and it was taking Nicci a while to try her open.  
  
"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Nicci asked, as the two settled down for bed.  
  
Kayla shook her head. "Do you?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Kayla giggled. "Who is he?"  
  
"You know Luis Mendoza, he plays hockey."  
  
Kayla nodded. She had seen the Latino around school, he was in some of her classes. Kayla also knew that he hung out with Adam Banks, whom she had been crushing on since she saw him in her Biology class on the first day of school. She had been crushed when she found out that Adam, and Star Lawrence were going out, but it had been total fate that she had ended up rooming with Nicci, who had been Star's room mate. Of course Kayla had felt awful about Star's death. It had affected everyone at Eden Hall Academy in one way or another.   
  
"Good night, Kayla." Nicci offered as she turned off the light.  
  
"Night." She replied in a whisper.  
  
Just a few yards away in the boys dorm, Adam Banks was tossing and turning in his bed. Ever since Star's death he had been having terrible night mares about the accident. Tomorrow would be the one month anniversary of that awful day. Adam was having the hardest time accepting it out of everyone. Finally, after a long while of tossing and  
turning, restlessly Adam fell into a deep sleep.  
  
The next morning when the girls came down to breakfast Adam noticed a read headed girl standing next to Nicci.  
  
"Hey guys, this is my new room mate, Kayla." Nicci said, introducing her to everybody.  
  
"Hey, aren't you in my History class?" Dwayne asked.  
  
Kayla replied with a shrug. She actually didn't say much all during breakfast, leading most of the ducks to make the assumption that she was rude, and stand-offish. However, Mari Anne was picking up on something else. She noticed that Kayla was starring at Adam, ever once in a while Adam would glance back. There was defiantly something going on there.  
  
"Hey, Portman, what's up with Banks and the Kayla chick?"  
  
"What about them?" He answered, sleepily.   
  
Mari Anne shook her head. After breakfast was over she went up to Adam.  
  
"Hey Banks. What do you think of Kayla?" She asked, following him to his locker.  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked.  
  
"I mean...I know we haven't been that close of friends or anything, but if you ask me, it's time for you to move on."  
  
"How can you say that? I loved Star with all of my heart. I just can't forget about her."  
  
"You don't have to, Adam, But it's not healthy for you to brood like this!"  
  
He shook his head sadly, and walked away.  
  
"The world won't stop just because she's gone!" Mari Anne called after him. "You've got to move on!" She sighed dissapointedly as she watched Adam disappear into the crowd.  
  
Banks stared at the ground his entire walk back to the dorm. He couldn't believe Mari Anne had, had the nerve to say that to him. And about a girl he'd known for ten seconds! He slammed the door open, something he'd never done and Portman, who busily trying to finish his homework in the last fifteen minutes before homeroom started, jumped.  
  
"Damn Banksie, what'd they put in your cereal this morning?"  
  
"Your girlfriend is a nosy bitch!" Adam plopped onto his bed  
  
"All right I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear you say that, cuz if I did, I'd have to pound you."  
  
"Never mind you wouldn't understand anyway." He grabbed his book bag and stormed out of the room slamming the door again.  
  
First period was Ms. Rayson's math class, that class had been the one had gotten Adam and Star together. She had been lost on her first day of school and Guy and Connie had found out that she was in his class, forcing him (well not really forcing him, he had been pretty willing) to walk with her. She'd taken the empty seat on the left of him and he'd felt his heart smile. Star Lawrence had been a once in a life time sort of love. Why couldn't anyone else understand that? Just then Charlie sat in the seat to the right of Adam and studied the side of his friend's face.  
  
There was a mixture or anger, sorrow and confusion registering on Banks' brow. A combination Charlie had never seen on him before. Adam had always been silent about his emotions and could hide things better then anyone else on the team. But the look on his face was screaming that he hadn't come to grips with the fact that Star was gone.  
  
"Hey Banksie are you coming to the duck pond with us tonight after school?" Charlie leaned over and asked quietly. Ms. Rayson was a young teacher and relatively cool, she didn't care if her students talked as long as they were quiet and didn't interrupt the lesson.  
  
"No I don't think so. I really don't feel like it." Banks looked up from his notebook  
  
"Banks, it's time to move on."  
  
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" He yelled.  
  
"Mr. Banks, I'm surprised at you." Ms. Rayson turned around from the board and glared at him "Keep your conversations faint or save them for after class."  
  
This was already wonderful start to Adam's day, his friends were upset him, he was getting in trouble with his teachers, and it wasn't even 9:00 yet. By lunch Adam had decided he was simply not going to say anything to anyone, he seemed to be having a hard time avoiding pissing people off that day.  
  
Scooter walked Julie to her table and kissed her cheek lightly as she dropped into her seat. Julie had spoken to Charlie in English and he told her that Banks was still refusing to have any fun. She knew he wouldn't listen to one of the ducks he may however listen to Scooter.  
  
"Hey Banks you got a minute?" Scooter leaned on the table.  
  
Adam stopped poking at his turkey tetrozini, "Yeah." He got up from his chair and followed Scott out into the hall.  
  
"Julie told me that she's kinda worried about you..." He started, gentally.  
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, confused.  
"I mean, that your not acting like yourself. She says that your not moving on like you should be, your still stuck on Star?"  
  
"What would you know about it Scooter, she was my girlfriend, my first love." Adam snapped.  
  
"You're right, but keep in mind I knew the girl since she was three. Star wouldn't want you to mope around and agonize over this, she wasn't like that. If you keep this up you run the risk of alienating all your friends. I don't think that's worth it."  
  
Back at the duck's table Kenny was trying to get Kayla to open up. "So Kayla do you skate?" He asked just as Kat stole his apple.  
  
"A little, not very well." Kayla answered quietly.  
  
"That's okay I can show you." Fulton offered as the original ducks erupted in laughter  
  
"Right Fulton, are you gonna put her in pads and make skate through the mall, like Bombay did to you?" Averman scoffed.  
  
"Shut up Averman." The Bash Brother retorted.  
  
"Why, did you wanna know?" Kayla was puzzled  
  
"We're going to the duck pond to skate tonight. Since you're Nicci's new roomy you're invited." Russ answered.  
  
Nicci pulled her head away from Luis's lips having heard her name, "What about me?" She asked.  
  
"Never mind Mrs. Mendoza go back to your make out session." Russ rolled his eyes.  
  
Nicci blushed and Luis smiled like a Cheshire cat.  
  
"I guess, I'm going skating with you guys tonight." Kayla told her and turned back to her peanut butter and banana sandwich. 


	2. Bruised Butts And Sprained Ankles

"So you decided to come huh?" Portman had just finished stuffing his skates into his gym bag when he noticed Adam fully packed and standing by the door.  
  
"I don't have anything else to do." Banks said as he zipped his jacket and the two headed out to meet the rest of the team at the pond.   
  
As Adam stepped down the last step in front of his dorm, he came down sort of awkward on his ankle. The ankle that he had injured when he landed on it funny after Star pushed him out of the way of the car. He'd been concealing the injury well, none of the team had noticed, but skating at the pond was out of the question now. The pain was shooting up his leg, he knew he'd be spending the night watching. When he and Portman arrived everyone else was already there, including Scooter, Riley and his brother Bryon. When Star died she had said she wanted the war between the teams to be over, so it was.  
  
Ken was in the middle of the ice doing axles and what not, Connie and Guy and Nicci and Luis were holding hands as they glided across the ice while the rest of the girls were making a chain of hands, well until Kayla fell flat on her face. Portman skated up behind Mari Anne and picked her up as Banks settled down onto a bench to watch.  
  
He watched the couples as they held each other tightly, watched them as they circled the ice as if there was no one else in the world but them, watched as they kissed. That bench felt like it was worlds away from where the rest of team was living. He was alone in his own world, there on that bench, until Kayla fed up from falling for the millionth time wobbled her way over and collapsed down next to him.  
  
"Give up?" Adam asked without turning his head to look at her.  
  
She nodded and realized since he wasn't actually looking at her he wouldn't know what she was doing. "Yeah my butt, can't much more of that."  
  
"Not worry, you'll get used to it."  
  
"I'd rather not." She said softly. What was she doing this was Adam Banks, the guy she'd been dreaming about for at least three almost four months. She struggled to think of something else to say, to keep the conversation going. "What about you? I mean I know you can skate."   
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"I've seen you play, you're awesome."  
  
"You're a hockey fan?" She didn't seem the type and it slightly surprised him  
  
Kayla's nerves kicked in and she said something she didn't mean to, "Not really, more like a number 99 fan." Instantly she turned as red as her hair, she was nearly glowing.  
  
Adam tensed next to her and she mentally kicked herself.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm stupid."  
  
"No it's all right, don't worry about it. I guess I just don't feel much like skating."  
  
"Then why come in the first place?"  
  
"Okay can you keep a secret?"  
  
"Of course, I don't talk to anyone so it's not like I can tell anyone anything."  
  
"I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago and I twisted it about an hour ago. If the team finds out they'll tell the coach and he won't let me play in the J.V. all star tournament."  
  
"Your secrets safe with me."  
  
Adam nodded, and shot her a quick smile. Kayla nearly melted, he looked so cute, sitting there.  
"So..." Adam said, trying to spark up another conversation. "Play any sports?"  
  
Kayla shook her head.  
  
"Nothing?" Adam asked, surprised.  
  
She shook her head again. "I'm not very coordinated."  
  
Adam smiled. "Yeah, I kinda figured that from watching you out on the ice."  
  
Kayla rolled her eyes, playfully. "Thanks a lot."  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that!" He interjected.  
  
She smiled. "It's okay. Contrary to popular belief, I can take a joke. Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor."  
  
Adam was taken aback by that comment, maybe he should give Kayla a chance.  
  
The two sat in silence for a few minuets, watching the others skate.  
  
"Hey, check out Kayla and Adam." Kat whispered to Mari Anne from the other side of the pond. "They make a cute couple." She noted.  
  
"It's no use." Mari Anne sighed. "Adam's still not over Star."  
  
Kat laughed. "Sure doesn't look that way to me, I mean look at them."  
  
Mari Anne shrugged, skating back over to Portman and the others.  
  
Gathering her things, Kayla started to stand up, planning to head back to the school.  
  
"Hey, where are you going?" Adam asked.  
  
"I was just going to head back." She replied.  
  
"You make a habit of just leaving a group without telling anybody?"  
  
"Nobody usually notices."  
  
Adam frowned. "You shouldn't go back by yourself."  
  
"I'll be fine." Kayla argued.  
  
"Just the same, I think I've had enough of this too, so you'll just have to put up with me tagging along."  
  
Kayla shrugged. "Whatever you say." Secretly she was happy for Adam's company, yet at the same time nervous, what if she did something wrong? Or made a fool of herself in front of him. With her luck, she would trip over something, or knock something over. But then again, there wasn't much that she could do about Adam going with her.  
  
They rode the bus back to the Eden Hall campus in silence for most of the way. Adam sensed something strange in Kayla's presence. It was like, he didn't have to say anything, like they didn't have to talk. She was content in silence, and that made him feel good.   
  
After the two got home Adam walked her to her dorm room, and then went back to his own, and that was it. Just a simple show of courtesy, and after a few more minuets the rest of the ducks returned and Charlie, Guy, Fulton, and Portman busted through Adam's quiet dorm room.  
  
"Way to go, man." Charlie congratulated him.  
  
"Yeah, we really thought that you were like, seriously depressed or something." Fulton added. "But this is great. Are you going to ask her out?"  
  
"Ask who out?" Adam asked, seriously not having a clue.  
  
"Um, Kayla...." Guy said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"What??? You think-...? Guys, I don't even know her!"  
  
"But we all thought-" Charlie started again.  
  
"Well you thought wrong. Listen, I'm sick of you guys worrying about me, and I'm sick of being treated like a child. There is nothing wrong with me. You guys would feel the same way I did if- if something like this happened to you! So just leave me the hell alone!" Adam said, as he rose from the bed, and slammed his door on the way out. The only thing worse than the pain he felt in his heart was the pain in his ankle. After walking a few feet to the stair well Adam stopped and sat down on the first step. He was concentrating on trying to hold the tears back from his eyes. After a few more moments he noticed someone looking at him from the door frame of the stair well, it was Guy.  
  
`Great' Adam thought to himself. `They've sent Guy here to make me feel better, and to make everything okay, well here's news for them: it's not okay. Nothing can ever be okay again.'  
  
"Adam, I'm sorry." Guy said simply. "I don't think that I ever did say those words to you. I mean, I know that you haven't wanted to talk about it, so I haven't said anything but, you know why I'm here."  
  
"Charlie sent you to play peace-maker."  
  
Guy grinned. "I'm not going to make you talk, but if you want to, you know, I'm not going anywhere. You know where to find me." He said, turning to leave.  
  
"It's just that-" Adam said quickly.  
  
Guy turned back around. "Yeah?"  
  
"I felt kind of...guilty being with Kayla."  
  
"Do you like her?" Guy asked.  
  
"Yes- no- I don't know."  
  
Guy nodded. "I don't think your supposed to know."  
  
"It's just different, it's harder. I'll never replace Star, I can never love anybody that much ever again."  
  
"Give it a chance, Banks. I think that there's just more to Kayla than meets the eye."  
  
"She's not like Star..." Adam said, letting his tears fall.  
  
Guy awkwardly wrapped his arm around his friend. The two sat there for almost an hour, talking, crying, mourning, still- a month after Star's death, nothing had really changed. Adam still felt the emptiness that consumed his heart- and the pain that swallowed his soul. 


	3. Dr Guy Germaine

Adam was up just as the sun was beginning to rise the next morning, he had something important to do before classes started. He took extra care not to wake Portman who had a tendency to be like a bear awoken from hibernation if disturbed prior then necessary. They two had already decided that the following year Banks would swap rooms with Fulton, who was driving poor, quiet, Kenny up the wall.  
  
The morning air was brisk and he pulled his jacket tighter around him, remembering the comforting warmth that Star's arms provided him with exactly a month ago. The sleepy sun was reflecting off the soft dew that blanketed the brown wilted grass. The frost soaking his sneakers and the bottom of his jeans as he crossed the quad. Banksie took his cell phone from his pocket and tapped in the number of the local cab company, then leaned against the heavy cast iron gate to wait.  
  
The taxi pulled up to it's destination and he quickly paid the fare to the shady looking driver and got out. Banks ambled slowly passed he vast sea of stones and went directly to the he had come to see. A simple tone with the words "Star Katherine Lawrence" inscribed in the granite. Nothing extravagant, but beautiful and perfect just the same. Precisely the same as Star had been.  
  
"Hi baby. I wish I knew what to say." Adam sat down on the grass so he was the same height as the tombstone "I guess you must know what's going on at school lately, but incase you don't I'll fill you in. All the ducks want me to move on, they think it's time. I think they're crazy because I can't move on, they don't understand what I'm going through. I think Guy might be getting it, a little though, I asked him last night how he'd feel if he ever lost Connie. He said he'd be devastated, that's the best word to describe how I feel I guess. I've been devastated since you've been gone.   
Cole's still being held at the correctional facility, your parents won't bail him out. Then to make matters worse he had to call to ask Riley and Scooter to post bail for him. They left at him, so much for warrior pride. But can you believe that? What a nervy bastard. What am I saying, I shouldn't be bad mouthing him to you, I mean he killed you and you probably still think 'he's my brother and I love him.' But that's just the type of person you are. That's what made me love you."  
  
A faint rustling of foot steps came from behind him followed by a vaguely familiar voice, "Hey Banksie."  
  
His head snapped to the side as he caught a glance of the person that was now standing to his right. A tall, dark haired boy about his age, carrying a bouquet of sunflowers. "Bryon, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I wanted to bring Star some flowers, regardless of what you and your friends think of me, I really did care about her." Bryon leaned down and rested the blossoms against the headstone.  
  
"Sunflowers were her favorite." Banks swallowed the lump that was forming in throat.  
  
"I know, they always were, she used to steal 'em from my yard when we were kids. The gardener would chance her yelling in Cuban, it was hilarious." Bryon laughed at the memory in spite of himself.  
  
"God I miss her." A cluster of tears were forming in Adam's eyes as well as in Bryon's.  
  
"Me too. I had such a crush on her when we were younger, she'd always tell me she was gonna marry Scott though. I don't think Scooter cared much."  
  
"She always said you were nothing but mean to her when you were little."  
  
"I was six Banks, that's how I flirted. What I wouldn't give to do the dance all over again. That was the last time she spoke to me."  
  
"With good reason, you beat me up."  
  
"I never did apologize to you for that did I?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Sorry, you know Banksie you're a good guy if Star had to fall for a duck instead of me, I'm glad it was you. I'll uh- leave you alone now." Bryon squeezed the Adam's shoulder and walked away.  
  
"Portman, where's Banks?" Guy asked that morning at breakfast.  
  
"I dunno. He wasn't around when I got up. I figured that he got an early start or something."  
  
Guy bit his lip. He had honestly been a little worried about Adam since their talk last night. He had been so depressed, not that he blamed him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Portman asked.  
  
"Nothing, I'm sure he's fine." Guy nodded, assuring himself that everything was okay.  
  
At that moment Adam was heading out of the cemetery and back to the Eden Hall campus. It turned out that he was a little late for first period class, not that it mattered. He had never been tardy before in his life.  
  
Charlie shifted his eyes over to Adam's seat. "Where were you?" He scribbled down on a piece of paper."  
  
"Nowhere." Adam wrote back.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
Charlie sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get any information out of Adam at that point. He decided not to pry.  
  
Guy caught up with Adam in between classes. "Hey, where were you during breakfast? You had me scared to death!" He confessed.  
  
"I went to the cemetery."  
  
"Alone!?" Guy exclaimed.  
  
Banks just shrugged. "No big thing."  
  
Guy nodded. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, better now. Don't freak out if I'm not at lunch either, I've got to do some research in the library."  
  
"Yeah, okay. I'll see you at practice though?"  
  
"Sure." Adam replied.  
  
At lunch, the other ducks noticed Banks' absence right off the bat.  
  
"Where's Banks?" Russ asked, with his mouth full of chicken salad.  
  
"Ew, close your mouth!" Charlie groaned. "I don't know, I haven't seen him."  
  
"He's in the library." Guy answered. A silence fell over the table, as everyone looked to Guy.  
  
"Did he actually talk to you?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure. We talked a lot last night."  
  
"About what?"   
  
"Just, everything." Guy shrugged. "He's still having a hard time, but I think that talking is helping him. I'm going to keep at it. But, don't treat him differently or anything, he's not that depressed, it's just sort of, lingering devastation."  
  
Dwayne looked to Russ. "What'd he say?"  
  
"I'm not...sure." Russ replied. "What DID you say?"  
  
Charlie shook his head at his friend. "You should be a psychiatrist, man. Seriously, you'd be good at it."  
  
Guy laughed. "Yeah right." 


	4. Skating Buddies

Adam didn't really have a reason to spend lunch in the library, there weren't any projects due for the rest of the term and he really wasn't interested in reading. However, the team didn't know that, it had seemed like a plausible idea to them, despite the fact it was in fact a lie. Banks made it up so they wouldn't follow him to his destination the campus rink. His ankle was still tender and his usual agility and speed were lacking, but being on that ice made everything seem somewhat  
better. He felt different on the ice, like he was soaring on the wings of an eagle, soaring with an angle, soaring with Star. Hockey had always been fun for him, for a good part of his life it had been the most important thing, the only thing that mattered. Then came the ducks and Star and suddenly hockey didn't see as significant anymore. But skating, just simple skating was the one thing now that eased his pain.  
  
The rink door opened noiselessly allowing a tiny girl to watch him as he circled from blue line to blue line. Kayla was mesmerized by his movements, the way his muscles seemed to dance beneath is tight black turtle neck, everything. Nothing fascinated her more then Adam. She sat silent and unnoticed for almost half hour of their 45 minute lunch break, until she was unable to withhold a sneeze. It echoed throughout the nearly vacant arena causing Banks to stop so abruptly he nearly toppled over.  
  
"Kayla what are you doing here?" He stared at her in both shock and confusion.  
  
Kayla flushed with embarrassment as she opened the gate and skated unsteady on the ice holding the wall for dear life. "I wanted to umm… I was going to… uh practice, so maybe the next time I go with you guys I wont fall as much."  
  
"That's a good idea" He skated over to where she was leaning against the boards, "Of course it may help if you let go of the wall."  
  
"I can't I'll fall."  
  
"Probably but that's how you learn." Banksie let out a real laugh for the first time in a month.  
  
"My rear end is already sore from last night." She whined  
  
Adam hung his head in defeat. "Okay, give me your hand."  
  
Kayla's emerald eyes widened had she heard that right or was her mind playing tricks with her?  
  
"What?"  
  
"Give me your hand, I'll hold you up." Banks outstretched his arm waiting for her hand. Still she hesitated.  
  
"Kayla, I'm not gonna bite you, but if you don't want my help, I'll go." That did it, suddenly he felt a dainty, soft hand thrust into his strong, gentle one.  
  
Kayla's heart was pounding the entire time, she been day dreaming about this boy for months, now there they were, alone, holding each other tightly, so close they could feel each others breath. It was almost to much for her to handle. At one point she lost her head and was just about to kiss him before she lost concentration, slipped and skidded across the ice.  
  
When lunch break was over Banks put his things in his bag nonchalantly and headed to the main building for Art, as if nothing had happened. And in his mind nothing had happened. He'd simply helped the friend of a friend learn to skate, at least learn how to stand up on skates. To Kayla however it was much more.  
  
She scrambled across campus to her dorm room, she was just lucky enough the 5th period was her free period, because she knew she needed time to calm down before she could go to class. Kayla Bennett had never been more happy in her entire existence.  
  
She fell onto her bed with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling with a ridiculously wide smile on her freckled face. She was so content she almost didn't notice her dorm room dorm open and Nicci walk in.  
  
"Hey what are you doing in here?" The blonde asked flopping down onto her bed  
  
"Free period, you?" Kayla turned her head to face Nicci  
  
"I've got a stomach ach so nurse Godfrey gave me a pass back the dorm. I've always got one though so it's no big deal, I just didn't want to go to class. So what are you so giddy about?"  
  
"Oh nothing really." Kayla sighed again, her face baring a dreamy expression.  
  
"Oh yeah I believe you." Nicci responded sarcastically.  
  
"I'm in love, but that's all I really care to say." Kayla looked over at a picture Nicci had of her, Kat, Mari Anne, Star and the ducks and frowned. No matter how she felt about Banks she had a feeling he'd always be Star's Adam. That put a damper on her mood.  
  
"Fine, suit yourself." Her roommate put on her headphones pulled out a magazine and left Kayla to think.  
  
Little did Kayla know somebody besides Banks was thinking about her.  
"Hey Kayla." Dwayne greeted her, before their last period history class together.  
  
"Oh, hey Dwayne." The red haired girl replied cautiously.  
  
"Walk you to class?" He asked, fidgeting with his books.  
  
"Sure, I...guess."  
  
Dwayne grinned as the two walked side by side to class. Secretly, he had been noticing Kayla since the first day of school at Eden Hall, to him, it was fate that she was rooming with Nicci. This was going to be his chance to make his move, not that he had any moves, but Southern charm, and a boyish smile didn't hurt anything.  
It did seem kind of strange to him that Banks and Kayla seemed to be hitting it off, and all of the ducks thought that Adam should get together with Kayla since he hadn't really gotten over Star yet. So Dwayne was torn. He really liked Kayla, but Adam was a duck, and one of his best friends, he wanted more than anything for him to be happy again. But if Banks wasn't interested then Dwayne figure that he might was well be...after all, what could it hurt? 


	5. Dwayne's in love

All during History that day Kayla kept getting the feeling she was being watched, every time she turned her head though no one was looking. She was still on the emotional high from spending her lunch skating with Adam anyway so if she actually found whoever had been ogling her, she probably would've just smiled at them and gone back to her notes. When class ended she packed up all her things and waited patiently for everyone else in the room to leave. On top of being quiet and shy, she was the most polite person on the planet. She didn't notice however that this time she wasn't the last to leave.  
  
"Um Kayla." There was a gentle throat clearing behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin  
  
"Dwayne! Give me a heart attack why don't you?" She spun around and knocked her pile of notebooks off the desk  
  
"Oh, I…I didn't mean uh scare you." The cowboy bent down and began to pick up her things as Kayla searched the floor for her favorite pen that went rolling across the room.  
  
"It's okay, I'm just jumpy. A huh, I found it." Kayla yelled crawling out from under the teacher's desk with her pen in hand "So what did you have to say anyway?"  
  
"I was just bout to ask ya, if you'd be joinin us at the pond tonight?"   
  
"I may, I'm not sure. I don't want to impose on you and your friends."  
  
"It wouldn't be imposing, why you're Nicci's roommate now, that makes you one of us."   
  
"I'll think about it, thanks for inviting me though."  
  
"Why it was no problem. Walk you to your dorm?"  
  
"Sure, I guess." Kayla shrugged her small shoulders and followed the tall Texan out of the door  
  
Neither said a word on the walk from the History building to dorms and both were feeling slightly uncomfortable and very nervous. Dwayne because this was the girl he'd been crushing on for months and Kayla because guys always made her jittery.  
  
"Well thank you for walking with me." She forced her cheeks to dimple slightly in an unnatural smile  
  
Dwayne loved her smile, even if it was a fake one  
"It was my pleasure. I guess I'll see you at dinner." He actually tipped his hat before heading down the hall  
  
Kayla opened her door and found a note from Nicci typed across the scene of their computer  
  
"I went to cheerleading practice with Kat. Marianne's across the hall if you need anything."  
  
Kayla couldn't decide if that note was really sweet or incredibly patronizing. Sure she was knew to the dorm but she wasn't a complete idiot. She was certain she could find the soda machines or whatever would be necessary in the next twenty minutes or so. But then again it was nice of her to care.  
  
  
The redhead turned the computer off and walked over to her bed where she threw herself with a content sigh. She had the room to herself, an invitation to spend time the Ducks and no homework, life was good. All she had to worry about now was to not make an ass out of herself in front of Adam and his friends again. She could still feel his hands on her hips holding her up. Just the thought made her pulse quicken. Instantly she began to feel bad, there she was laying in Star's bed, hanging with Star's friends and thinking about Star's boyfriend, it just wasn't right at all.  
  
At the same time in the school gym Banks was struggling with leg presses trying to get his ankle stronger. He'd been there for an hour and had only managed fifty lifts rather then is usual one seventy-five. Guy was on the treadmill across from him, waiting for the right time to find out what was wrong.  
  
"Hey Banks is there something the matter?"  
  
"Huh? Oh no, Guy I'm fine." Adam leaned over and picked up his water bottle taking a long swig  
  
"Are you sure? You don't look to hot."  
  
"Just a little depressed I guess. I was just thinking about things, I mean you have Connie, Charlie has Linda, Kenny's with Kat, Luis and Nicci, even Dean has Marianne. I just miss Star so much." Banksie knew the best way to get Guy to drop the subject was to play the Star card.  
  
"I really sorry man. Do you wanna talk about it?" Guy tossed his gym towel around his neck and went to sit down near his friend on the bench  
  
"Nah, it's alright Guy, I don't want to burden you anymore then I have already. I think I'm just gonna go take a shower and get ready for dinner."  
  
  
Kayla walked to the Ducks table with her tray in her hands, the only empty seat at the table was between Averman and Goldberg, not the most desirable position to sit but it was better then eating alone as she had at the beginning of the year.  
  
"Hey Kayla." Nicci greeted dropping a grape in Luis's mouth  
  
"You two are so cute, you're sick." Marianne quipped tossing her roll across the table and pegging Luis in the forehead  
  
Portman snorted a laugh as his girlfriend hid her face not believing he'd just hurled bread.  
  
"I've got to go with Marianne there guys." Julie affirmed  
  
"Why don't we stop picking on them?" Kenny asked  
  
"Cuz that wouldn't be any fun." Russ answered looking up from his Shepard's pie  
"Ya'll are we still goin' to skate tonight?" Dwayne was always the gentleman so he changed the subject to get Nicci and Luis off the hook  
  
"Does anyone else have anything better to do?" Charlie sounded more like he was challenging them to find something better then skating, when no one said 'yes' he declared, "Then we're on."  
  
  
Later that night the group was again taking over the frozen pond, Banks had taken a couple of pain killers allowing him to skate virtually pain free, but they were making him groggy as hell however and his balance was slightly off. He stumbled over ice trying to hide his dazed state. Unfortunately he crashed directly into Kayla who was working just as hard on not falling over. They both tumbled onto the ice leading in an inelegant heap.  
  
"Uh sorry." Banks managed staring the tiny girl in the face  
  
"No problem." She replied, the plush on her cheeks threatening to melt the ice beneath them  
  
The expression on her face was making Adam very uncomfortable and he shot up off her like he was on fire. The last time he had a girl laying under him like that it had been Star and he was ravishing her with desperate kisses.  
  
"Are you alright Kayla?" Dwayne shot across the ice worried  
  
"Yeah, I'll be okay." She tried to stand and slipped back down again, from both her lack of skating skills and the lightheadedness she was experiencing.  
  
"No you're not, you hit your head." Dwayne caught her gently by the arm before she hit ground  
  
"I'll be fine, I just need to lie down."  
  
"I'll take you back to the dorms, I reckon you're not in the best shape to walk back alone. Is that okay with ya'll?"  
  
"Sure Cowboy go ahead." Someone said, Dwayne didn't know who, he was already wrapping an arm around Kayla and ushering her off the ice.  
  
"Those two make a cuter couple then Adam and Kayla." Kat whispered to Connie  
  
"They do. Who does maybe we can get Kayla hooked up with a Duck after all." The beautiful hockey player responded as they all went back to having a good time. Well all but Banks, who was sitting on the same bench as before, with pain in his ankle and his heart. 


	6. Squished toes and first dates

Adam took a look around the campus, before opening the door to the rink, when he walked in, he found it empty, with the exception of Kayla sitting in the lobby, waiting for him.   
  
"Hey." She greeted him smiling. "I didn't think you were coming."  
  
Adam smiled nervously, he was ten minuets late.   
  
"Sorry, I got held up." He lied, the truth was that he had been dawdling around campus, looking for a reason not to meet Kayla for her second skating lesson. It wasn't that he didn't want to help that he was tired of all the ducks making speculations on him.   
  
Kayla gripped Adam's hand as the two started out on the ice. She felt safe, and....special, because Adam Banks, one of the most popular guys at Eden Hall had his full attention on her, or so she thought. Of course, physically, Adam was with Kayla, but mentally, his mind was all over the place, floating back to his precious memories with Star.... Afterwards, as Kayla was walking back to her dorm she ran into Dwayne.   
  
"Howdy, Kay." He greeted her, tipping his hat, which made Kayla giggle.   
  
"Hey." She replied.   
  
"Whatcha doin'?"   
  
"Just walking back to my dorm."   
  
"I'll walk you." Dwayne volunteered, his eyes getting wide. He was happy at the prospect of walking with Kayla. He was becoming more and more smitten with her by the minuet.   
  
"So, are you doing anything tonight?" He asked.   
  
"Um, I don't think so, why?" Kayla asked, hesitating slightly. Usually that sentence was followed by something like 'Do you want to do something with me tonight.'   
  
Kayla wasn't sure how should would respond after being asked that question by Dwayne, of all people....especially after just spending an almost perfect hour and a half with Adam Banks.   
  
"Well, I thought maybe we could go out for dinner together, since it is Friday night after all."   
  
'Yup, there it is.' Kayla thought to herself.   
  
"Sure." Kayla responded quickly. It wasn't that she had really wanted to say yes, it was more of just a gut reaction, after all, who was she to turn down any guy? She should have felt lucky, right?   
  
When Kayla finally made it back to her dorm, (after convincing Dwayne that he could just drop her off at the door of the building, instead of walking her to her room), Kat was the only one on their floor.   
  
"Hey, where'd everyone else go?" Kayla asked, sprawling out on Kat's bed.   
  
"I think their at the quad." Kat noted, not looking up from her computer, where she was typing something or other.   
  
"Whatcha doin'?" Kayla asked.   
  
"I'm um- finishing my biology paper."   
  
"Oh. Hey, Kat, what would you do if you liked somebody, and you weren't sure if they liked you back, and then there was this other guy that really liked you a lot, but you didn't like them back at all, well, as more than just a friend?"   
  
"What?" Kat asked, rather confused.   
  
"Oh, sorry....I guess you didn't catch that...." Kat shook her head slowly.   
  
"I'm from the south....we talk slow- and with short, one or two syllable words." She joked.   
  
"What....would....you....do....if..." Just then Mari Anne walked through the door, Kat looked to her, and then back at Kayla and started giggling uncontrollably.   
  
She looked at Kat and raised an eyebrow. "We were just talking about my um- situation." Kayla supplied.   
  
"Oh, with Banks and Dwayne."   
  
"Wow, you don't miss a beat...."   
  
"Yeah, I know." Mari Anne grinned. After talking it through, their problem was resolved. "  
  
We need a girls night out, it'll make you forget your problems." Kat suggested. Kayla smiled. It sounded like a great idea to her. They decided to go out on Saturday night.   
  
"Great, something to look forward to!" Kayla exclaimed.   
  
"Like your not looking forward to your date!" Mari Anne joked.   
  
Kayla shrugged, and suddenly realized that she was. It was a date after all.   
  
Dwayne felt differently about the situation, however. He was going crazy trying to decide where to take Kayla for their date. He wanted to show Kayla the best time she had ever had, but he didn't know exactly how to go about that, because he didn't know what she liked. In then end he had decided that dancing would be the best way to go, everyone liked dancing, right? There was however, a small problem. Dwayne had no idea how to slow dance.   
  
Guy Germaine sat unsuspectingly on his bed that Friday afternoon, with an open book in front of him, and a soda in his hand. He had a date with Connie that night, but unlike Dwayne, he knew exactly where he would take his girlfriend. They would start out with a movie, whatever she wanted to see of course, it would be followed by dinner, and end with a make out session by the lake, Guy's favorite part of the night, needless to say.   
  
Guy jumped, at a knock at the door. It couldn't be Charlie, because Charlie was out with Linda, and he wouldn't knock anyway. "Come in." He yelled.   
  
"Howdy." An unmistakable voice came from the door frame.   
  
"Hey, Dwayne." Guy greeted his team-mate.   
  
"What's up?"   
  
"Well, ya see- I-" Guy frowned. He could tell that Dwayne was troubled.   
"Spit it out." Guy laughed.   
  
"I need your help." Dwayne finished, in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"With what?"   
  
"I asked Kayla out, and I was thinking that, you might have some suggestions, since everyone knows that your the best boyfriend in the whole world."   
  
"Well...I don't know about that..." Guy said uneasily. "And, this might sound really corny but, if you want to impress her, then, be yourself. Your a great guy, and she's all ready said that she'll go out with you which must mean that she likes you."   
  
"That's true, thanks."   
  
"No problem."   
  
"Um, what do you think about dancing?"   
  
"What about it?" Guy asked, starting to become just the slightest bit frustrated with Dwayne's new found insecurity.   
  
"Is it good for a date?"   
  
"Well yeah, a lot of girls like it."   
  
Dwayne nodded. "Good....except."   
  
"What?" Guy asked, throwing the textbook he had been reading onto his night stand.   
  
"I don't know how to slow dance."   
  
"I supposed you want ME to teach you?" Guy asked. Unfortunately, his sarcasm was lost on Dwayne.   
  
"Would you!?" He exclaimed. "Oh wow, Guy, your the best friend a guy could ask for!"   
Guy let a groan escape from his lips. This was going to be a long afternoon. I  
  
n the mean time, Kayla was ready for their date. She borrowed a pair of pants from Connie, and wore a white blouse, with a denim jacket over it, and left her wavy, auburn hair down.   
  
Dwayne picked her up that evening at seven, with a single red rose in his hand (on Guy's suggestion). He smiled, his goofy, charming smile, and handed it to her.   
  
"Gosh, you sure look pretty, Kayla." He breathed, excited at the thought that he was about to spend a Friday night with the girl of his dreams. He of course, wouldn't have confessed to anyone at that moment how nervous he was   
  
"Thanks Dwayne, shall we?" She asked, as she closed her dorm room door, and locked it.   
  
The bus ride to the dance hall, downtown was spent in uncomfortable silence, but soon Kayla found herself wrapped up in Dwayne's strong arms, dancing. She was actually starting to think that he was really sweet, but just then, there was a pain in her right foot. Dwayne had stepped on it.   
  
"Ouch!" Kayla exclaimed.   
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Dwayne exclaimed. "I didn't mean to, it's just that...I'm not really used to this kind of dancing."   
  
Kayla smiled. "So what kind are you used to?"   
  
"Well, line dancing mostly. We do that a lot back in Texas. I've actually never slow danced before, well until this afternoon."   
  
"Really? Your not that bad."   
  
"Thanks, I'll have to tell Guy that he's a good teacher." Suddenly, Dwayne's mind was screaming at him. 'Did I just say that? She's going to think I'm stupid!'   
  
"Guy taught you how to slow dance?" Kayla laughed.   
  
"Well, yeah..."   
  
"So you learned for me?" The red head asked, realizing how sweet that had been. Dwayne nodded, timidly. "Nobody's ever done anything like this for me before, Dwayne."   
  
"I don't believe that!" He exclaimed.   
  
"It's true....thank you." 


	7. Girls night out

All of the girls stood in a line in the ladies' room in front of the mirror, playing with their hair or applying makeup. Kayla hadn't said a word to her friends about her date with Dwayne, and in truth she wasn't certain herself.  
  
"Did we decide where we're going yet?" Julie asked pulling her hair into a high ponytail   
  
"Club Cristal." Kat declared putting one of her emerald contact lenses in  
  
"Did everyone tell their men they wouldn't be around tonight?" Kayla asked quietly lining her eyes in a charcoal colored pencil  
  
"I did, Dean of course had to declared his ownership of me and remind me that his is big enough to maim just about any guy that will feel the need to hit on me." Maryann chuckled   
  
"That's better then what I had to go through, Guy thinks we're going to the movies. If I told him we were going clubbing, he'd probably show up there to check up on me."  
  
"Luis trusts me." Nicci declared from the sink shelf where she'd been sitting rather then fussing over her make up and hair.  
  
"Sure he does Nic." Linda smiled and patted her on the back   
  
"Why did we invite her?" Maryann whispered sharply to Kat  
  
"I dunno, I don't like her either." Kat answered   
  
"Because she's Charlie's girlfriend so we're stuck with her." Connie sighed  
  
"Is everybody done?" Julie was starting to get impatient  
  
"I'm ready." Kayla replied softly  
  
"Good then let's go."  
  
The line at the club was pretty long for eighteen or under night but the girls were able to get in quickly by going in with another group of teens they recognized from school. The music was pumping and the room was hot. A shy girl like Kayla was in her own personal hell surrounded by so many people. Suddenly being on the dance floor with Dwayne the night before even seemed like a better place to be.  
  
"Are you having fun yet?" Linda yelled over the earsplitting music  
  
"Yeah." Kayla lied, the only way the night could've gotten worse for her was if someone asked her about Dwayne, luckily no one had yet  
  
"So tell us Kayla, how did things go with Dwayne last night?" Julie queried on the edge of her seat  
  
"Yeah he really likes you, it was all he'd talk about during practice this afternoon. In fact if I remember correctly Banks told him if he heard your name from his mouth one more time, he'd pay Fulton to take slap shots at Cowboy's head." Connie added  
  
'Adam told Dwayne to stop talking about me?' Kayla thought, so excited by what she heard to care about the fact they'd asked about her date 'Maybe he was jealous, maybe he likes me.'  
"It wasn't that big of a deal really. We went to dinner and then dancing. It was nice but it's not like we're getting married or anything." She responded lost in her own little world of fantasy  
  
"Guy told me Cowboy asked him to show him how to slow dance, I think that's so sweet."  
  
"It is sweet, it just wasn't the big of a deal."  
  
"That being said," Nicci began "I've got to pee, anyone wanna come?"  
  
No more then two minutes after Nicci, Julie, and Linda left for the potty , a tall, red headed boy, with a mischievous smile approached where Kat, Kayla, Connie and Maryann were sitting.  
  
"Hello ladies how are you tonight?" He smiled and tried his best to look deathly sexy  
  
"Fine thanks." Kat muttered. If there was one thing she hated it was people that think they're all that.  
  
"You girls are much to be pretty to be here alone, why don't we get to know one another so you won't be?"  
  
"Here let me do the introductions and get this over very quickly." Maryann chimed in "I'm Maryann, I've got a very big, jealous boyfriend waiting for me back at campus so cross me off your conquest list, unless you have a death wish. That's my roommate and best buddy, Kat, she's doing the whole friends with benefits deal with a guy at school and she's way out of you league anyway. The gorgeous dark haired girl right there is Connie, she's practically married, so yeah, no chance with her. Lastly is Kayla and she's already having trouble dealing with two men, she doesn't need a third to complicate things. So who are you?"   
  
"I'm…"  
  
"Ian Roberts!" A familiar voice yelled from a few feet away   
  
"Nicci, hey what are you doing here?" The boy asked  
  
"Hanging out with my friends. What are you doing here?" Nicci crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes  
  
"Talking to these lovely ladies."  
  
"Ian, remember the girls I always talk about when I'm home, you know my friends at Eden Hall?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's them." Nicci tipped her head in the general direction of the rest of the girls  
  
"Oh, hi." Ian waved "So I guess this is your way of telling me to beat it then right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay."  
  
As the boy walked away Kayla finally started her first conversation of the night, or at least attempted to  
"Now what?"  
  
"I say when we're getting flirted with by Nicci's little brother, its' time to go." Julie stated  
  
"I agree." Linda nodded  
  
And so ended their not so fun night out. 


	8. Rodeo

Kayla sat on a bench in the quad flipping through a copy of Teen People, she'd taken from Nicci's magazine rack, enjoying the fresh air. In her mind Spring in Minnesota was more beautiful then anywhere else in the world and she relished in simply taking in the bright colors and feeling the gentle breeze. Despite the number of the people she considered friends growing as of late, she was still the shy girl inside. Sometimes she just liked being alone, outside taking pleasure in the quite. And sometimes company isn't so bad.  
  
"Hey Kayla." Mari Anne waved from the path as she came to join the redheaded girl.  
  
"Hi, how'd you do on that makeup test?" Kayla asked, sliding over to make room.  
  
"Fine, fine. Where is everyone?"  
  
"Nicci and Kat are still at cheerleading practice, Julie and Connie are in the newspaper office finishing their interviews on what it's like to be women in a predominately male sport, Linda's off crusading for more conservative uniforms for the swim team." She sighed and added " I dunno where the guys are."  
  
"Dean said something about a foosball tournament in the rec room, not that I see how watching people pull handles to make little plastic men kick a ball across the table, is more fun then spending time with wonderful me." Mari Anne grinned and flipped her hair for emphasis. So what are you reading?"  
  
"Just a magazine, actually I have to ask your advice on something."  
  
"I'm probably not the best person to be asking for advice." She remembered the reaction Banks had had when she'd voiced her opinion to him.  
  
"Here, what do you think?" Kayla handed her the magazine she'd been looking at.  
  
"He's cute, but not my type. You've got a thing for cowboys don't ya?" Mari Anne smiled, looking at the article on 19 year old bull rider Dusty Labeth.  
  
"Not the guy goofball. In the article it says he's going to be competing Thursday night when the PBR comes to St. Paul."  
  
"I don't follow…"  
  
"Well I was thinking of maybe asking Dwayne if he wants to go to the rodeo."  
  
"Are you serious, you're gonna ask him on a date? That boggles the mind."  
  
Kayla put her face in her hands to hide the pink tint in her cheeks and let out a giggling sigh  
"Should I ask him, for real this'll be the first time I've ever asked somebody out."  
  
"No, I think it's a good idea, he'll love it."  
  
"Okey dokey, thanks."   
  
The two sat and talk for a few minutes as the rest of the group began to wander in and join the conversation. Within twenty minutes the peaceful atmosphere that Kayla had been appreciating had been transformed by the vociferous troop of teens. Each with their own thing to discuss, making whatever someone else was saying unheard. The constant noise however was making talking Dwayne nearly impossible, so Kayla took the handsome cowboy by the hand and tugged him away from the crowd.  
  
"Well now Miss Kay, what's so important?" Dwayne gave her his trademark angelic smile.  
  
"Um, well, uh, well you see I read in a magazine that the rodeo is going to be in town on Thursday and I was just thinking, maybe we could go." Suddenly the shy girl inside of her took over and she began to shift on her feet uncomfortably.  
  
Dwayne couldn't believe what he was hearing, the girl he'd had a crush on for months was actually asking him on a date. It was unreal.  
"You wanna go to a rodeo?"  
  
"Sure, it seems like the least I can do. After all you did learn to slow dance for me."  
  
"Aww shucks, it was nothin', besides I spent most of the time steppin' on your foot."  
  
"So… you don't wanna go?" Kayla queried, disappointed.  
  
"Heck yeah I do! The PBR, I can't believe it, Tuff Hedamen and Cody Lambert run that, they're like my idols. Golly how much do you think tickets will cost?"  
  
"Not to worry, I've got some money left over from last Christmas, it's my treat. So if you'll excuse, I've got to go up to my room and order those tickets."  
  
MEANWHILE  
  
"So what's Kayla talking to Dwayne about?" Connie questioned observing the interaction going on to their left.  
  
"She's asking him out, well on a date." Mari Anne replied from her perch on Portman's lap.  
  
"Really? Huh that's interesting."  
  
"Well then ya'll should stop starin' at em." Kat declared.  
  
Guy looked over at Banks and studied the expression on his friend's face. The didn't really seem to be any emotion at all displayed on Adam's face. Like he wasn't sure if he were happy, relieved, jealous. He didn't want to let himself feel one way or another about it. Guy realized Banks still wasn't cured.  
  
THURSDAY NIGHT  
  
"What do you wear to a rodeo?" Kayla called as Julie entered Nicci and Kayla's room, where the rest of the girls had already congregated.  
  
"Where is she?" Jules inquired pulling out the desk chair and sitting on it.  
  
"I'm in here!" A small hand protruded from closet and waved. "Somebody help me here, I've never been to this sort of thing before."  
  
"How about overalls and a straw hat?" Nicci suggested.  
  
"Remember I know where you sleep." Kayla taunted climbing out of her closet, arms loaded with clothes.  
  
"Come on Kat, you're from the South, help us out here." Mari Anne patted her roommate on the shoulder.  
  
"I wasn't exactly allowed to hang out with cowboys guys, I went to boarding school remember, a Baptist boarding school?"  
  
"A lot of help you are Arkansas girl." Connie teased.  
  
"That's it, I'm not going." Kayla groaned throwing herself onto the floor.  
  
Of course when the time came she was ready to go, Julie French braided her long red hair for her and she'd picked a nearly perfect out fit. A pair of white ankle boots completed the look along with a white and yellow plaid tank top and straight legged jeans.  
  
"You look awful nice tonight." Dwayne complimented from where she stood leaning against the hallway wall as Kayla closed her door.  
  
"Thank you, it was hard to decide on what to wear. Connie was going to let my borrow these really cute cowgirl boots, but they didn't fit. I've got teeny feet."  
  
"Well you know that Alan Jackson, it's alright to be itty bitty." Dwayne to her jacket in one arm and her waste in the other and they went off toward the bus stop.  
  
"This is fantastic!" Kayla squealed as they passed through the arena.   
  
The floor was covered in hay and each area was separated for different events. There was one for barrel racing, calf roping, bronc busting and the most popular, bull riding.  
  
"Hi, pretty girl." Dwayne heard the sound of Kayla's voice as he turned the corner, returning with the sodas he'd set out to get for them. He found her standing near a horse pen, petting a mare. He stood back and watched her for a minute as she let the horse nuzzle her cheek and lick her face. He smiled to himself, his heart thumping, she was sweeter then he thought she was. Watching interact with the animal like that made him feel like he was observing a scene in a Disney movie.  
  
"Dwayne isn't this the most beautiful horse you've ever seen?" She gushed when she noticed she was being watched.  
  
"She reminds me of a horse we had on my ranch when I was little. She was my favorite, chestnut colored quarter horse. Her name was Butterball." The boy explained in his smooth accent.  
  
"Oh, I love horses, do you still have any?" Kayla took her soda from him and they started on their way to the seats to watch the bull riders.  
  
"Two, Miss Daisy and Budweiser, maybe you can come down the Austin sometime and see em and the ranch too."  
  
Kayla flushed at the invitation, she really was having a good time with Dwayne, but she wasn't sure about the potential for romance.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry Kayla, that was mighty forward of me. I mean this is only the second time we've spent any time together and I'm already askin' ya to meet my family." Dwayne apologized as they climbed the bleachers.  
  
"It's okay, here place your bets who's gonna win?" Kayla tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject.  
  
Dwayne smiled and looked at the program she'd produced from her pocket.  
"Um, well I'll wager on Ross Coleman."  
  
"I'll take Dusty Labeth."  
  
"He was out last season with a groin injury, why'd you pick him?"  
  
"He was in a magazine, plus he's the only one I'd ever heard of before."  
  
At the end of the night neither of their riders had won, but even if his dad Dwayne wouldn't have taken Kayla's money, it was enough for him just to have her there.  
"I had fun tonight, thank you for buyin' the tickets."  
  
"You're welcome, I had fun too." Kayla responded as they stood outside of her door.  
  
"I'll see ya in history tomorrow. Have a good night." Dwayne tipped his hat. And set off down the hall.  
  
"You too." She called after him, slipping inside and falling into bed without changing her clothes. 


	9. A shoulder to cry on

Dwayne walked over to the lunch table and set down his tray. He looked around the faces, but didn't find the one he wanted.  
  
"Has any of ya'll seen Kayla?" He asked, pulling out his chair.  
  
"Not since home ec." Connie answered popping the top on her soda.  
  
"Speaking of missing people, where's Banksie?" Charlie queried. "Guy?"  
  
Guy put down his juice box and shook his head.  
"I haven't talked to him in a few days."  
  
"He can't keep avoiding us." Julie stated as Scooter sat down beside her.  
  
"Who?" Her boyfriend inquired shaking his chocolate milk.  
  
"Banks." Everyone replied at the same time.  
  
"Oh, I saw him going into the rink on my way from architectural drawing." The varsity goalie informed them.  
  
"I'll go check on him." Guy offered.  
  
"Thanks Germaine." Charlie nodded as the blonde left the table and the rest of the Ducks fell into their own conversations.  
  
MEANWHILE AT THE RINK  
  
"You're doing great Kay, I think we can stop these lessons soon." Adam declared from where he was leaning against the boards watching her.  
  
Out of the blue the girl asked him.  
"How's your ankle feeling?"  
  
Banks was confused, he couldn't understand what would make her ask that.  
"Still a little stiff and achy, why?"  
  
A gleam came in Kayla's eyes and a iniquitous smile crease her cheeks.  
"The deal was, you train me as long as I keep your injury quiet. So if there's no more lesson's I have no incentive not to fink on you."  
  
"Blackmail, not very attractive trait Kayla."  
  
"Well Adam, I do what I have to." Suddenly her face turned serious and a question she'd been holding in from everyone, fell out. "What was Star like?"   
  
Banksie was shocked.  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's just… I dunno sometimes I feel like I'm living the life that Star didn't get to. I sleep in her bed, hang out with her friends, get skating lessons from her boyfriend. It's like I'm filling in for her, yet I don't know a thing about her, except for the common knowledge stuff that everyone knew. Not that I'm trying to replace her, I can tell from the way people still talk about her and think about her, she could never be replaced."  
  
Adam sighed and sunk down onto the ice, ignoring the cold and wet sensation that immediately started on his butt.  
"Star was… Star. She had this presence about her, the type of thing that when she walked into the room, you automatically noticed her. The funny thing was she always wondered why people liked being around her so much, she didn't understand about the energy she gave off. She was tough as nails and as sweet at sugar, she'd always give you a second chance no matter how you hurt her, but she'd never tell you your apology was accepted. I guess she sorta contradicted herself a lot."  
  
"She sounds great." Kayla acknowledged dropping onto the ice beside him.  
  
"She was… she is. And she's gone because of me." Suddenly Banks began to cry, his body shaking. "Cole should've hit me, he was suppose to hit me. GOD STAR WHY DID YOU DO IT, WHY DID YOU PUSH ME OUT OF THE WAY?" He yelled looking up as if the roof of the rink wasn't between him and heaven.  
  
"Adam, what are you talking about?" There had been a huge cover up about the incidents surrounding Star's death. The alumni had thought if the truth were told to the rest of the student body, it would cause bad publicity for the school and less support for the hockey team. None of the students, with the exception of those who had been there, knew what really happened. The formal announcement made by the administration was that Star was killed in a hit and run and Cole left school because he was so distraught. The web of lies kept the rest of the student body out of the loop.  
  
"Nothing… never mind." Adam sniffled, realizing he'd said more then he should've.  
  
"No, Adam, whatever it is it's obviously upsetting you, please talk to me."  
  
"Star wasn't killed in a hit and run Kayla, her brother hit. He was trying for me, Star pushed me out of the way and Cole got her instead. She died because of me. I saw her in the hospital, watched her as she faded, the whole time I knew it was my fault. She was laying in the bed, in so much pain, she wouldn't admit but I could see it in her eyes. I would have given anything to crawl onto that bed and trade places with her. Do you know what it's like to care for someone so much, you'd sacrifice everything you have to keep them from feeling pain?"  
  
Kayla nodded solemnly, she knew exactly how he felt, she would've done anything to take away the hurt, guilt and loss he was feeling. She put on of her short arms around his shoulder and despite his better judgment he leaned against her, continuing to sob into her shirt.  
  
Guy pushed the door to the rink opened and crossed the lobby swiftly, he yanked the door to the ice and walked halfway to the gate before he noticed them still sitting on the ice across the rink. From what he could see they were very close and cuddly, not wanting to disturb them he left, undetected.  
  
LATER THAT DAY  
  
Banks' butt was still feeling like pins and needles as he entered the locker room for the game that day. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get the feeling back in his cheeks. It was going to make for a very uncomfortable situation when he went to change into his uniform. Yet, in spite of his frost bitten ass, he was feeling so much better, since letting out all his emotion over Star's death. Some how talking to Kayla was so easy, he found himself able to tell her things he couldn't tell anyone, not even one of the Ducks. At that point in time he was certain, he'd be talking to her more often.  
  
As the rest of the team finished changing and exited to the bench, Guy lingered, waiting to talk to Adam alone for a minute.  
  
"Hey Banks?" He began, startling the other boy.  
  
"Jesus Guy, I didn't know you were still in here." Banksie put his hand over his heart, feeling in pound from fright. "What's up?"  
  
"I saw you today."  
  
"Yes you did Guy, you're seeing me right not too."  
  
"Stop it Banks, I saw in the rink with Kayla. You two look awful close."  
  
"What were you spying on me, Guy?" Banks shook his head.  
  
"No, I just wanted to check on you. Look Adam, I know I've been telling you to move on and that Kayla seems perfect for you, but did you have to wait till she had things goin' with Cowboy to make a move on her?"  
  
Adam felt his blood start to bubble, he was so sick of everything and everybody, making his life their mission. He wasn't hitting on Kayla and if he was it wasn't any of Guy's concern anyway, or anyone else's of that matter.  
  
"You know what Guy, why don't you do me a favor and mind your own business." With that he stormed at leaving Guy alone in the locker room. 


	10. Kisses in the dark

Kayla and Nicci were sitting in their room playing cards when Kat burst in a ball of Southern excitement.  
  
"Pack your bags guys." She instructed flopping onto Nicci's bed, landing directly on the pile of cards.  
  
Kayla shook her head confused.  
"Uh, why?"  
  
"Kat have you been sniffing the paint in the art room again? We've had this discussion, it's not healthy." Nicci joked.  
  
Kat rolled her eyes, an annoying habit she had, though it was warranted on that occasion.  
"Mari Anne and I our having a slumber party, in our room tonight."  
  
"So what's planned?" Kayla asked.  
  
"We're going to eat tons of junk food, listen to music and watch a bunch of 'Brat Pack' movies." Kat replied.  
  
"And who's coming to this sleep over?" Nicci looked at her skeptically.  
  
"You guys and Connie and Julie, Mari Anne went to get them. So come on get packing."  
  
"What about lovely Linda?" Nicci asked sarcastically.  
  
Kayla nodded.  
"Charlie'll be mad if you don't invite her."  
  
Kat sighed, she knew they were right.  
"Okay, we'll go get her after we leave here, so hurry up."  
  
Kat pushed the door open to her room and found Connie, Julie and Mari Anne sitting on the floor amongst a chaos of blankets and pillows. There was a bowl of popcorn, bags of chips and a cooler filled with soda, ice cream and cookies, between them. A CD mountain was piled high next to the stereo and stack of movies sat near the VCR.  
  
"It took you so long to get back, I figured I'd get everything set up." Mari Anne smiled reaching past Julie to pull a Sprite out of the cooler.  
  
"I had to make and extra stopped." Kat rolled her eyes again.  
  
"Sorry it took me so long to get up the stairs, I had to call Charlie and tell him where I was going to be." Linda walked in and set her sleeping bag down beside the closet door.  
  
Connie wrinkled her nose and Julie stifled herself by biting into on Oreo.   
  
Nicci tried to lighten the mood by declaring  
"The more the merrier right?"  
  
"Right." Mari Anne nodded. "Well everyone come in and make yourselves comfortable. We have like a million moves to watch, which ones first?"   
  
"Do you have 'The Breakfast Club'?" Connie inquired bouncing.  
  
"Yeah." Both of the hostesses responded.  
  
"Put that in, I love Emilio Estevez." She giggled.  
  
"Me too." Julie agreed "Have you ever noticed that he looks a bit like Coach Bombay?"  
  
"That was the first thing I was thinking when I met him!"  
  
"Personally, I'm more into his brother." Linda added.  
  
"That's just because his name is Charlie." Kat retorted, the rest of the friends laughing. Linda, didn't find it amusing.  
  
Halfway through the movie marathon, the girls were starting to get restless. There was only so much Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson they could handle for one night. That's when Kayla came up with a great idea for a party game. They'd each come up with a question that they'd never come right out and ask one of their friends, but they'd really like to have answered, then the questions would be written down, put in a bowl and drawn out by one of the other girls. It seemed like a fun idea to the rest of the group, so they went along with it.  
  
"If you could date any taken guy at this school who would it be?" Kat read aloud. "Well, honestly, I've had a crush on Guy since I watched the Good Will Games."  
  
Connie snorted and sipped her cola.  
"You can have him."  
  
"You don't mean that and you know it Con." Julie declared.  
  
Connie sighed.  
"Sometimes I think I've been with him so long that I don't know how to be anything but his girlfriend. You people say our names now like it's one word, GuyConnie or ConnieGuy, but I love the blonde dope so I guess I'll deal."  
  
"Okay, it's my turn." Kayla changed the subject stuffing her hand in the bowl. "If you had to choose between someone that loves you, or someone you love, who would you pick?"  
  
The room fell silent and people wondered if it had been rigged that Kayla would pull that one. However they were all unbelievably interested.  
  
Kayla flushed and she started to feel hot. The blood was rushing in her ears.  
"Um, that's unfair, but if I had to decide I'd go with…"  
  
Just then there was a loud knock on the girl's door and all their heads went straight up. It was the perfect time for an interruption in Kayla's mind, the fright they all were feeling was distracting them from hearing her answer, an answer she really wasn't prepared to make.  
  
Kat walked over to the door, Mari Anne following close behind with her softball bat poised to swing.  
  
"Who's there?" Kat drawled, tucking a curly behind her ear nervously.  
  
"It's us." Charlie called back from the hallway.  
  
The girls all let out their breath as Kat reached out and unlocked the door and a line of male hockey players began to walk in. Luis, Charlie, Scooter, Guy, Ken passed Mari Anne on the way in and as Portman walked by her she slugged him hard in the ribs.  
  
"Gee love you too." He snorted, holding his side.  
  
"You scared the shit out of us you big jerks." His girlfriend told him sternly.  
  
"Well, I think you just broke my rib, so we're even. And what are you doing with this?" He took bat out of her other hand.  
  
"Debating which one of you guys I should beat with it."  
  
"Right." Portman wrapped his strong arms around her and walked her over the area of the rook that the rest of the group was now inhabiting.  
  
"What are you all doing here?" Nicci inquired from Luis's lap.  
  
"Charlie was randomly calling us and telling us there was a party that only the prettiest girls at school were invited to." Luis began smoothly.  
  
"But we figured we'd skip it and come here." Scooter finished for him, avoiding the dirty look Julie shot him.  
  
Kayla looked around at all the happy and cozy couples and was starting to feel a little out of place. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked aimlessly around the room, before standing up and walking toward the exit.  
  
Linda looked up from Charlie's lips long enough to ask.  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"It seems that the night went from a sleep over to a make out party, I figured I'd just go back to my room." Kay replied quietly.  
  
"Sorry Kayla, we would've brought a guy for you, we just didn't know which one you wanted." Portman laughed.  
  
"Shut up Dean." Mari Anne hit him again.  
  
"No it's alright, I mean, how could anyone else know, if I don't know myself?" The red headed girl kicked at the carpet with her bunny slippers. "I'm just gonna go guys. I'll talk to you all tomorrow."  
  
She toddled over to her room and shoved her bag in. She was going to sit on her bed and wallow in her own self pity, but after some thought she decided she needed some fresh air. After pulling on her sneakers, Kayla wandered out of the dorms.  
  
The moon was hiding behind clouds that were screaming rain and the stars looked like they too were scared to challenge to the authority of those clouds. Campus was empty with the threat of a storm spooking the students to stay in doors. Eden Hall very rarely looked like such a ghost town, that night however Kayla wouldn't have noticed if a black hole swallowed the entire school and left her alone.  
  
The wind was blowing harshly and she shivered slightly in spite of herself and denied her body the ability to retreat into the dormitory.  
  
"You look cold." A familiar voice avowed from the rear of her.  
  
Kayla looked up and smiled, as the moon pushed free from the barriers of the clouds and illuminated the face of the person next to her.  
"Adam, what are you doing out here?"  
  
"I was doing a lot of thinking in my room, I figured I'd come for a walk and clear my head."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"So, is this seat taken?" Banks looked down at the spot of grass beside her.  
  
"Nope, please sit." Kayla tapped the ground next to her.   
  
"Thanks. Portman told me, Mari Anne was having a slumber party tonight, why aren't you there?"  
  
"Their significant others showed up, so I left. I didn't wanna be around all those happy couples."  
  
"I know what you mean." Banksie conceded.  
  
The girl nodded.  
"So what were you thinking about?"  
  
"Honestly, you." His reply weakened her entire body.  
  
Kayla swayed roughly in the unforgiving breeze and toppled over onto to Adam. They were face to face and she couldn't find the strength to lift herself off of him. Banks, didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to roll out from under her either. In fact, his left hand came up and touched her cheek gently. Then he raised his head, brought his lips to hers, in one silky smooth movement gave her a kiss that numbed her brain the whole time it lasted.  
  
Then, when her mind started walking again, Kayla jumped her feet and sprinted away, not knowing how to feel. She knew she should've been happy, but there was a ball of guilt forming in the pit of her stomach that had already started eating away at her. Dwayne… What about Dwayne? 


	11. Choices

Banks was again alone his room, staring at the ceiling as if the ceiling held the answers to the universe. He couldn't understand what was going on in his head, that wasn't an uncommon thing, but that time it was different.  
  
"Hey Banks, open up." A voice called from the hall, followed by a knock.  
  
Adam groaned, all he wanted to do was to be by himself.  
"Go away Guy, I don't feel like talking right now."  
  
"Banks open the door, or I'm getting the key from Portman and comin' in on my own."  
  
"Fine, geeze isn't there somebody else you could be bothering right now?" He flung open the door and stalked back over to his bed.  
  
"Nope, the rest of the team is all off doing the things they're suppose to. You know Banks, it's one thing to skip lunch to avoid us, but ditching practice is definitely not like you." Guy lowered himself to the floor and sat Indian style on the rug.  
  
"You must be neglecting Connie, why don't you take her out tonight. My treat."  
  
"Banks, cut it out. What's going on with you?"  
  
"I kissed her." Adam sighed, rolling over so his back was to his teammate.  
  
Guy looked confused.  
"Kissed who?"  
  
"Kayla."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"The worst part is, I enjoyed it. She's got soft lips, you know. And she smells good too." Banksie lamented.  
  
"I see, so what did Kayla have to say about this?"  
  
"Nothing, she ran away from me. I don't get it, I thought she liked me."  
  
"I thought so too, but maybe she got into Cowboy. There's always the chance that she got sick of waiting for you to come around and moved on."  
  
"I dunno what I'm gonna do." Banks kept his back to Guy.  
  
"Do you want some advice?" Guy shifted positions as his foot started to fall asleep.  
  
"Sure, what you got?"  
  
"I think, you should talk to Kayla."  
  
"Yeah… well hey if you don't mind, I've got some thinking to do. I'll try to make it down to dinner, okay?"  
  
"Okay, see ya later buddy." And Guy left him alone.  
  
Kayla paced the length of her bedroom for the fifth time, Nicci was beginning to get worried. She'd never seen the tiny redhead act so irrationally in the now three months they'd been rooming together.  
  
"Kay, are you alright?" The pretty blonde asked looking up from the book report she was working on.  
  
"Hmmm?" Kayla sounded distracted. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"You don't look fine, you like you're about to have a break down any minute. Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No, I'm good."  
  
Nicci shook her head and was about to say something else, when the phone the girls shared rang, for the tenth time in a half hour.  
"If it's Dwayne again, I'm not telling him your out this time. The poor boy's called nine times already, he's obviously not giving up till he talks to you."  
  
"Tell him, I'm asleep then. Technically it wouldn't be telling him I'm not here." The strawberry haired girl instructed.  
  
"Nope, not happening." Nicci told her, then picked up the receiver. "Hello? Oh hey, what's up? Yeah she's here hold on."  
  
Kayla backed away as her friend reached to hand her the phone.  
"No, no, no, no." She mimed.  
  
"Take the stupid phone." The blonde jammed it into the other girls hand and went back over to her desk.  
  
"Hello? Adam, hi, how are you doing? Certainly, give me a couple minutes okay. See you in a bit." After hanging up Kayla threw herself back on her bed with a sigh.  
  
"You'll see him in a little bit?"  
  
"Yeah… I guess so… he says he wants to talk." Kayla chewed on her bottom lip.  
  
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Nicci raised her eyebrows.  
  
"No."  
  
"If you say so. I'm gonna go down to the student lounge since you evidently don't want to tell me what really going on."  
  
Just as Nicole was about to close the door, Kayla called out.  
"He kissed me."   
  
"Who did? Banks?" Nicci stuck her head back in the room.  
  
Kayla nodded.  
  
"That's great Kay, that's what you've been wanting isn't it?"  
  
"It is… but it wasn't what I expected. I mean, it was nice, he's a wonderful kisser and his hands were so tender on my cheeks. It's just it wasn't magical like I always thought it would be. There wasn't a spark."  
  
"No spark?"  
  
"Yeah, kinda silly to think that would ever happen. You know that sorta thing that happens in fairy tales."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. So what do you think the problem is?"  
  
"Honestly, I think I'm falling for Dwayne."  
  
Nicci nodded.  
"So what are you gonna do, now that you have to choose?"  
  
"I dunno. But right now, I'm going to see what Adam wanted to talk about." And Kayla left on her way to the boys dorm. 


	12. Broken hearts, broken ancles

Kayla Bennet took a deep breath, as she turned the corner to the duck's hall way of the boys' dorm. The brown carpet, and beige walls looked more drab, and uninviting than usual. Slowly, she approached dorm room number 218, a familiar one, obviously, because it was Adam's.   
"Calm down!" She told herself, quietly, as she knocked quietly on the door.  
A few moments after that, Kayla heard someone inside the room, unlatching the dead bolt, and twisting the door knob open, and there stood Adam Banks on the other side of the door, his face firmly set in a serious expression.  
"Hey." He greeted her, in monotone.  
"Hey, yourself." She replied.  
"Come in." He offered, shutting the door behind her.  
"What did you want to talk about?" Kayla asked, taking a seat on Portman's bed.  
Adam looked down, and then back into Kayla's bright green eyes. "I just wanted to tell you-" Adam paused to take a breath. "That I'm in love with you."  
Kayla's eyes widened. Had those words really just come out of Adam Banks' mouth? Tears brimmed in Kayla's eyes as she thought back over her memories of Adam. A few months ago she would have done anything to hear him say those words, but now- things were different.  
"Adam-"  
  
"God, Kayla please! Don't do this!" Adam moaned. "Please just say that you love me back, can't you just do that?" He begged. ?It hurt so much for me to say that. You're the first girl I've felt this way about since-"  
"Since Star?" Kayla asked, cutting him off. "That's all I am to you! A way to get over Star! Adam, listen to me. I'm a person too! I have my own life, and I've told people before, you included, but I'll say it again. I feel like I'm living her life! I've got her room, her friends, and you! And you want to know what? I don't want it- any of it."  
"Kayla please-"  
"Adam!" She yelled back.  
Adam was taken aback, he had never heard the meek girl even raise her voice before. "Look, I can't do this right now. I've got a game. I'll see you later, and we can sort all of this out. Later, Kayla." He told her, grabbing his bag, and heading to the ice rink.  
So there Kayla stood, in the middle of Adam Banks' empty room, alone. She felt numb, almost, like crying. However, no tears would come. She decided the only thing to do was to walk back to her dorm. Maybe Nicci, Kat, and Mari Anne would have some of their words of wisdom.  
"Hey,guys." Kayla said, stopping short as she entered her room. There stood her three friends, with their hair tied up in pony tails held by purple, white, and green ribbon. They were dressed in Eden Hall t-shirts, and jeans, and to top it all of, were in the middle of painting their faces.  
"Hey Kay!" Nicci exclaimed. "Come on, get ready for the game! It's going to be awesome."  
"You're kidding." She mumbled.  
"Come on!" Kat exclaimed. "Where's your school spirit?"  
"I don't think I'm going to the game tonight, you guys."  
"Now you're kidding." Mari Anne interjected. "This is going to be huge. It's the Kennedy Prep School Armadillos verses the Eden Hall Mighty Ducks! Were going to dominate!"  
Kayla shrugged, sitting down on her bed. "I just- I don't feel well." She explained.  
"Do you need to go to the nurse?" Kat asked, sitting down beside her.  
"No. I'm just going to turn in early. You all have fun." She smiled.  
"Okay, but you seriously don't know what your missing. They have the best center in the whole state- well you know, besides Banks. Are you sure you don't wanna go?" Mari Anne went on.  
"Leave her alone! Come on lets go, were gonna miss the first face off!" Nicci grumbled, pulling her friend out of the room. "Feel better, Kayla!" She yelled back to her room mate.  
It was then that Kayla let her tears fall. She wanted Dwayne to like her, and she really did want to go to the game that night, but it would have been too hard to see Adam so soon. After a few more minuets, Kayla cried herself into a dreamless sleep.  
Halfway across campus, the first period had just ended, and the ducks were up 1-0 over Kennedy Prep School.  
"Good work, Ducks." Orion praised his team the back in the locker room. "Keep playing hard- no more stupid penalties, all right, Cowboy?" He asked.   
Dwayne nodded, still feeling stupid about tripping number 43 during the last minuet of the period. His head hadn't been where it needed to be. He had been searching in the stands for Kayla. He thought that surly she would have made it to this game.  
Adam Banks sat across from Dwayne. He was pretending to listen to Coach Orian, when in reality he was trying to mentally push aside the pain in his ankle, he hadn't had time to wrap it before the game, because he had been in his dorm room talking to Kayla.  
After Coach Orion's pep talk in the locker room, Adam took his place at center ice for the face off, Charlie was on his right, and Guy to his left, with the bash brothers on defense. The first period had been tough, and Adam was wondering how long he was going to last this period.  
Kennedy high won the face off, and starting moving into their zone. Charlie stole the puck and started out on a break away. Adam, and the rest of the ducks Close behind him. At the duck's blue line Banks was knocked off balance by a Kennedy defenseman, he felt his weight awkwardly shift onto his ankle, after that all he heard as he hit the ice was a crack, followed by a mind numbing pain. Life couldn't get worse. 


	13. The End

The hospital room was unbelievably quiet an unusual thing when the Ducks and their girl friends were near. No one said a word as they waited for Banks to wheeled in from the surgery they had to perform to reconstruct his ankle. It was a breath holding situation, because though it was a relatively routine operation, there was always a chance of tragedy. The lingering worry if their friend would ever skate again, or walk correctly for that matter was over shadowed by the concern on if he'd even make back to the room.  
  
"I can't believe he didn't tell anyone." Scooter broke the silence.  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time." Kenny spoke up.  
  
Russ nodded.  
"Yeah, but if the Cake-Eater had hid the first one, ya never woulda needed me on the team."  
  
"Do you guys think he has a complex, first the Good Will Games, now this?" Luis queried.  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Mari Anne asked, lifting her head from Portman's shoulder.  
  
"Banks broke his wrist at the Good Will Games and played for a few weeks with it like that before the coach found out. He didn't tell anybody." Connie explained.  
  
Goldberg couldn't get it.  
"I thought Bombay told him that if he kept that crap up, he was gonna wind up hurting himself permanently?"  
  
"He did." Julie declared. "That's why it's so weird that he didn't mention anything to anybody."  
  
Charlie agreed.  
"I know. Is everyone absolutely sure he didn't say anything, Guy, Portman?"  
  
"I just room with dude, we don't' talk much." Portman shook his head.  
  
"He tells me as little as possible Charlie, besides you know if he said something to me, I would told you or coach Orion." Guy stated.  
  
Kayla sat in the corner near Kat, chewing nervously on her hair. She was avoiding making eye contact with anyone, she wasn't even certain why she'd gone to the hospital that day. It was pretty obvious that she would be the last person Adam wanted to see when he came out the anesthesia.   
  
"How about you Kayla?" Charlie narrowed his eyes at the girl.  
  
"Now why would he tell Kay, Charlie?" Dwayne looked at his captain confused.  
  
"You dunno Cowboy? I thought everyone knew, you're girlfriend had been spending her free time getting skating lessons from Banksie. But that's not the worst , see after Kat and Mari Anne's party the other night, she was making out with him."  
  
"I don't believe you Charlie."  
  
"It's true Dwayne." Kayla began meekly. "Adam had been teaching me how to skate and we did kiss the other night. Yes, I did know about his ankle, he wanted me to keep it secret so I did."  
  
Dwayne felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. He could barely even breath, the entire he thought he had the girl of his dreams. Little had he known that Banks really had her.  
"I learned to slow dance for you… if you didn't like me, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"It's not like that Dwayne, I do like you, it's just…" Her voice trailed off.  
  
"I think you should go Kayla, before there's a problem." Nicci suggested softly.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just go Kayla, we've got bigger things to worry about then you." Charlie snarled.  
  
"Dwayne?" As the girl went toward the door she called to the cute Texan once more, this time he turned his back to her and she fled in tears.  
  
Hours later Adam opened his eyes, the door to his hospital room was closed as was the curtains. There was no way for him to tell if it was night or day. His leg was in traction and he was still mildly groggy from the anesthesia. That's when he heard the sound. It sounded like someone clearing their throat and it startled Adam. What scared him more was when he looked around the room and saw no one.  
  
He shook his head and closed his eyes, chalking it up to paranoia over his fear of hospitals. Though he was sort of disappointed, he hated being alone in the hospital and was wondering where his friends were. He'd been almost positive when he was going in for the surgery that as soon as he opened his eyes afterward one of the Ducks would be there. The fact that there wasn't seemed strange. Suddenly his nose was assaulted by the sweet scent of lilacs, an incredibly familiar smell. This time his eyes shut open and met with a pair of soft hazel eyes, ones he'd stared for hours. Eyes he knew better then his own.  
  
"I didn't think you were ever going to wake up, you know patients isn't one of my virtues Adam." A soft yet firm female voice stated.  
  
"St- Star?" Banks' jaw dropped and he shook his head quickly. "It can't be, you're, you're…"  
  
"Dead." The girl finished for him. "I know."   
  
"I'm dreaming, the medication, I'm delusional."  
  
Star reached over and ran her fingers through the boy's soft golden hair. As her skin got closer to him the smell of the lilac got stronger.  
"Can you feel that?"  
  
"Yes." He nodded.  
  
"I've missed how soft your hair is."  
  
"You still smell like lilac."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How is this possible?"  
  
The girl sighed and took his hand.  
"I've been watching you Adam, but some things have happened lately that I thought maybe you'd need me to help with."  
  
"I need you all the time Star, I miss you so much." Banksie sat up straighter.  
  
"I know you do sweetie, I miss you too. That's part of the reason I'm here."  
  
"They give you time off up there to visit loved ones?"  
  
"Don't make jokes Adam. I'm here because I need you to let me go."  
  
"I'm trying Star, I even tried to find another girl, things just didn't work out."  
  
"No Adam, you didn't. You simply moved on to another girl."  
  
"Are you trying to tell me I don't love Kayla?" Banks looked at her confused.  
  
Star shrugged.  
"If that's how you look at it. What I'm trying to say is, you don't even know how you feel. This cute girl, that has a crush on you that everyone knows about all of a sudden becomes a member of your circle of friends. You had people pushing her on you when you weren't really ready to start dating again. It makes perfect sense that you'd fall for her. But are you sure you didn't just fall for her because you wanted to prove to everyone you were alright?"  
  
"Yes, Star, I loved you. You will always have a place in my heart, but Kayla's my future and I do love her."  
  
"That's all I wanted to hear Adam. I knew if you could bring yourself to tell me how much you cared for this girl, then you really do have feelings for her. So now all I have to ask you is one last thing. Do you love her enough to let her go, the way you did me?"  
  
"What do you mean, she's not going to…"  
  
"No, no, she's fine. It's just, I don't know how to say this Adam... Kayla… is in love with Dwayne." The girl explained   
  
"No she's not, they've gone out on a few dates but she likes me, she always has. We were suppose to talk about it after the game, but I got hurt so we didn't get the chance to. We'll work it all out though." He told her all in one breath.  
  
"No. While you were unconscious Adam, Charlie told Dwayne about you two. Kayla was devastated, she left in tears. Some where along the line she realized the feelings she had for you, weren't the same feelings I had for you and the person she did feel that way about, was the soft spoken cowboy."  
  
"I didn't notice, I didn't see it."  
  
"You weren't meant to baby. But I've got to go now, think about it. I love you Adam Banks." As Star's lips brushed his abruptly Adam's eyes flew open.  
  
He looked around the room, there was sign of Star, he thought for sure it had all been a dream, then he detected the linger smell of lilac. Then he knew it was real. The door to his room squeaked open and a doctor stuck their head in.  
  
"Glad to see you awake." The doctor walked over to the machines and checked all of his patients vital signs. "Your friends are all in the waiting room, would you like me to have someone to come and see you?"  
  
"Actually, yes, would you have the guy in the cowboy hat come in here, for me?"  
  
"Sure."   
  
When Dwayne walked into the dimly lit room, he had his head hung and his arms folded behind his back. The tall Texan looked like he was ashamed of something, but Dwayne had never done something to be ashamed of in his whole life.  
  
"Hey Dwayne." Banks greeted him subtly.  
  
"Hi Banks." Dwayne replied meekly. "You know, uh, Charlie's been waiting to check on you. Do you want me to go get him?"  
  
"No, no, I need to talk to you Dwayne, about Kayla."  
  
"Don't worry about hat Banks. I know she's the first girl that you've like since Star, so I think you should go out with her. Don't worry about me, she likes you anyway."  
  
Banks shook his head.  
"She doesn't, it's you she wants to be with Dwayne. So go, go find her. You two belong together. When you love someone you should spend as much time with them as possible, because you never know what might happen. I lost Star, I don't want to see you miss out on being with the girl of your dreams."  
  
"Thank you Banks." Dwayne tipped his hat at Adam and ran out of the room.  
  
Kayla was sitting on the same patch of grass she had been the day she fled Marianne and Kat's party. And just like that day she was shivering. A long shadow fell on the grass in front of her but she ignored it. She was destine to be alone romantically and at that point in time she just wanted to be left alone with her tears.  
  
"Kay?" A warm southern drawl called from behind her.   
  
Kayla sniffled her tears and wiped her face with her sleeve.  
"I can't talk about it right now Dwayne. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."  
  
"I'm not here to fight with you Kayla. I just wanted to tell you, that if I didn't ruin everything today, I'd still like you to come to Austin this summer and see the ranch and meet my horses."  
  
Kayla shot up from the grass and flew at him like she'd been launched from a slingshot. Dwayne caught the tiny redhead and picked her up. She nestled her damp face in the nook of his neck and kissed the top of her head. Banks may not have gotten his girl, but he'd helped the right couple get together.  
  
THE END 


End file.
